After I toweled off, I slipped on a pair of shorts and a tank top, then piled my hair on top of my head.
“Ready?” asked Nathan when I met him downstairs.
“Yeah, let me grab something to eat first”
When I entered the kitchen, mom was standing over the sink with the water running, her face pasty white.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, I think I had a little too much wine last night. It’s finally catching up to me.”
“Really? A delayed hangover? That’s weird. Hey, what’s that on your neck?” I asked, staring at her skin. “Did you get bit by a couple of mosquitos?”
She touched her neck. “I must have.”
The skin on her neck was definitely swollen and there were two small red bumps just below her ear.
I squinted. “Does it itch? It looks pretty inflamed.”
My mom had always been very sensitive to bug bites, so it wasn’t a surprise that her skin was tender and sore-looking.
She shrugged. “No, not really. It’s a little tender, though.”
“You should put something on that,” I said, turning away from her. I reached into the cupboard and grabbed a box of chewy granola bars. “Some of that Neosporin stuff.”
“I will.” She touched her head and groaned. “God, remind me not to have more than one glass of wine the next time anyone offers.”
I snorted. “No doubt.”
She grabbed a paper towel, poured cool water over it, and then dabbed her forehead. “You know, I think I’m going to lie back down for a while.”
“Hey,” I said as she began walking away, “I have an interview this afternoon. That diner I was telling you about.”
“Good job, sweetheart. I’m sure you’ll get it.”
I’m sure, too. They’re really in need of help now that Amy’s gone, I thought bitterly.
Thirty minutes later, Nathan and I were racing across the lake in the boat again.
“Let’s head over to Sonny and Duncan’s marina!” he yelled over the engine.
I gave him the thumbs-up. I had to admit, the thought of seeing Duncan again was stirring up the butterflies in my stomach.
The sun was already hot, and by the time we reached the marina, I could feel the back of my neck and shoulders begin to burn. I grabbed some sunscreen and started lathering it on.
“Hey!” called Duncan, who was putting gasoline into a fishing boat.
“What’s up, Dunc?” asked Nathan.
He smiled. “Not much.”
Nathan docked the boat and tied it. “So, did your dad mention anything about the job yet?”
Duncan laughed. “Haven’t had time to talk about it. But I think you have the best shot so far. My dad seems to like you.”
“Cool. Nikki already has an interview later this afternoon for a waitressing job.”
Duncan looked at me. “Ruth’s?”
“Yeah. By the way, did you watch the news this morning?”
He shook his head. “No, been working.”
I told him about Amy and then mentioned the face in the window.
His eyebrow shot up. “Seriously? Wow, it’s weird that you mentioned that, because I’m pretty sure that someone was watching me last night, too.”
Chapter Nine
My stomach clenched up like a fist. “Really?”
He nodded. “It was just before midnight and I was in the kitchen, having a snack. I heard some weird scraping noises near one of the windows, and when I looked up, I could have sworn someone ducked away. I even went outside to check it out.”
I shivered. “Did you find anyone?”
“I didn’t. But I felt like someone was watching me when I was outside, too. I have to admit, it kind of scared the shit out of me.”
I turned to Nathan. “So, do you think I’m still seeing things?”
He looked at both of us and shook his head. “Fine, I believe you. Maybe it’s a Peeping Tom?”
Duncan shrugged. “Could be, or something worse. It also happened to me a few weeks ago, too, but I thought I was just imagining things. In fact, now that I think about it, I believe it happened around the night that girl went missing, Tina Johnson.”
I looked at both of them. “And last night, Amy was murdered.”
Nathan groaned. “Nikki, quit it already. You watched the news! They have evidence that she committed suicide. They found drugs in her car and her wrists were slashed. She was messed up. Caleb’s daughter even told him she had issues.”
“Maybe, but I still have a hard time believing it. Someone could have killed her and covered it up. She was terrified of something. Why would she warn us if she wasn’t?”
Nathan walked over and shook me playfully. “You’re making something out of nothing. Okay, even if someone was watching both of you last night, it’s probably just some pervert.”